The present invention relates generally to waste containers and, more particularly, to a vacuum-release waste receptacle constructed to prevent vacuum adherence and tearing of a filled plastic bag or liner disposed therein upon removal from the receptacle.
Many consumers have experienced the difficulty inherent in removing a plastic liner from a molded plastic trash container. Often when densely packed waste materials and/or garbage are collected in such a trash container, the liner adheres to the inside surface of the trash container creating a vacuum effect and is difficult to remove. As a result the filled liner can be torn open and the contents spilled upon removal. This presents a significant problem in medical offices and hospitals where the accumulated waste materials may include chemicals, contaminated liquids, and/or bodily fluids.
Various vented waste containers are known in the prior art. Such prior art vented waste containers comprise venting systems and apparatus including valves, molded air passages, vented double-walled construction, and other vacuum release features which are designed to permit pressure equalization within the waste container. However, these venting systems are relatively complex and substantially increase manufacturing costs.
One example of such a prior art waste container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,732 to Bowers et al., which teaches a garbage container including an air conduit directed within the container coextensively of a side wall thereof extending into the container cavity such that the air conduit includes side wall openings to effect vacuum release when a plastic liner is positioned within the garbage can. However, molded air conduits of this design require complex molding tools, which add substantially to manufacturing costs.
Another example of such a waste container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,571 to Brooks et al., which describes a trash receptacle having inner and outer side-wall portions defining an air space. The inner base of the inner portion has a plurality of apertures extending into the air space between the inner and outer bases to permit airflow from the air space into the interior space of the trash receptacle to relieve the vacuum formed when a trash bag is removed from the interior space. Such double-walled construction increases manufacturing complexity and costs substantially.
Yet another example of a vented waste container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,063 to Poliquin, which pertains to a trash can vent system including a vent channel member having an edge securing cap formed at one end for attachment to an existing waste container and also having a number of vent openings formed between an inner vent channel and the surface of the vent channel member facing the trash can liner. Such vent devices are a costly add-on, and typically become dislodged from the container upon removal of a filled liner.
Still another example of a vented waste container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,241 to Barnett et al., which teaches a vented refuse container including a vent assembly that extends along a sidewall of the container to vent air beneath the trash bag. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,379 to Bard describes a vented trash receptacle having a plurality of peripherally positioned hollow tubes, which are interior to or molded into the walls of the receptacle. The integrally molded versions of this corner-type vent increase manufacturing complexity and costs. The add-on version with adhesive tape presents installation and fit problems.
Another category of prior art waste containers include vented openings which extend through the sidewalls or bottom wall of the container. One example of such a vented trash can is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,717 to LeVasseur, which teaches a trash container wherein a vent extends through the side wall adjacent a bottom wall of the container such that a plastic trash bag can be removed from the container without interference from vacuum otherwise created therein. Another example of this general type of vented waste container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,303 to Timm et al. comprised of an upstanding waste basket having an arch-shaped foot securement cavity extending completely through the bottom of the main housing. The foot securement cavity is designed to permit a person""s foot to enter and secure the container to the floor while removing a refuse liner. The arch-shaped member includes a plurality of evenly spaced vacuum holes to reduce the vacuum created by the refuse liner and the container during removal of the refuse liner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,755 to McArthur, Jr. et al., pertains to a trash receptacle including a vent means mounted in the bottom thereof for eliminating the formation of a vacuum when a filled trash bag liner is removed from the receptacle. The air vent holes are disposed in a central vertical stalk located on the inner base portion of the receptacle, which allows air to ingress/egress from the outside atmosphere to the interior of the receptacle.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,760 to Nicoll et al. discloses a trash receptacle including a valve mounted in the bottom thereof for breaking the vacuum, which is created when the trash liner positioned within the receptacle is lifted for the purposes of trash removal. The valve is mounted in the central raised bottom portion of the receptacle and is surrounded by a peripheral portion having radially extending passages, which allow ambient air to flow inwardly to break the vacuum.
While these devices fulfill their respective objectives and requirements, such waste containers having vent openings that extend through the container walls and are unsuitable for use with hazardous chemicals, contaminated waste, and/or bodily fluids as might be encountered in medical offices, hospitals, and other settings.
The present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides a vacuum-release waste receptacle suitable for this purpose at substantially reduced manufacturing costs.
Accordingly, the present invention is a vacuum-release waste receptacle designed to prevent vacuum adherence and tearing of a filled plastic bag or liner disposed within the present receptacle upon its removal. To accomplish this the present invention provides a waste receptacle including an air baffle formed on the inner surface of at least one sidewall of the receptacle and projecting inwardly into the interior space of the receptacle and to its bottom wall. The air baffle is fabricated to a predetermined dimension, which is calculated to provide a linear indentation of sufficient depth in the filled plastic liner to create an air conduit between the plastic liner, the air baffle, and the inner surface of the receptacle providing for vacuum release of the plastic liner upon removal. Various alternative embodiments of the present waste receptacle are disclosed featuring different configurations of the air baffles.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Other features and technical advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings.